1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with a printing process, and in particular a process of producing a transfer printed image on a flat article of predetermined shape, such as a floor or wall covering or the like.
2. State of the Art
Flat articles of predetermined shape (preferably space-filling or tessellating shapes) include tiles or the like. One important category of such articles includes textile articles, especially textile articles of the nature of floor coverings (carpets, rugs or the like). Such textile articles typically comprise a backing with fibres woven or tufted therein.
When it is desired to produce indicia or patterns in such textile articles, fibres of contrasting colour are generally woven or tufted into the backing. While this enables quite effective designs such as words or logos to be produced in the textile article, the range of colours is limited, and it has not been possible to produce complex, multicolour pictorial designs. Attempts to produce a colour print on textile substrates by a transfer process have had only limited success, as the colour print has been relatively impermanent, and it has been difficult to cover large areas in this way.
This problem of covering large areas is particularly severe when attempts have been made to apply a complex print to adjacent tiles or other space-filling shapes, as it has been found to be difficult or impossible to keep the print in register with the substrate.
It is therefore an aim of the present invention to provide a method of producing a visible image on a flat article, which alleviates the problems outlined above.
Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a method of producing a visible image on a substantially flat article, which method includes:
(a) providing a substantially flat article having at least one major face of substantially uniform pale colour and of predetermined shape, the shape having at least two edges each of which edges defines a respective step when the article is laid on a support surface;
(b) providing a sublimation transfer carrier sheet having a predetermined mirror image on an area of the carrier sheet, such that the mirror image is adapted to substantially cover the predetermined shape;
(c) providing edge templates adjacent the area, each of the edge templates being arranged to abut a corresponding edge of the predetermined shape;
(d) placing the article on the support surface and arranging the area of the carrier sheet in contact with the major face such that the mirror image substantially covers the predetermined shape with each of the two edges abutting a respective one of the edge templates;
(e) allowing sublimation transfer of the image from the carrier sheet to the face; and
(f) removing the carrier sheet and the edge templates from the face so as to leave a predetermined visible image on the face within the shape.
The method according to the invention may be carried out twice(or more)in succession on a plurality of such articles; in this embodiment, the successive sublimation transfer carrier sheets may provide successive parts of a larger picture. By ensuring that the successive parts are in register according to the invention, a larger, space-filling picture can be produced, with the image extending continuously across a plurality of such articles when placed edge-to-edge.
It is particularly preferred in this embodiment that the shapes defined by the major face should be space-filling shapes. It is especially preferred that the shapes should be tessellating; that is, they should have straight edges and be rectangular (including square), triangular, or hexagonal, such that an array of the articles can fill a space without leaving gaps between the articles.
It is preferred that the article is a textile, for example, of the nature of a carpet or carpet tile or the like. Such a tile may have a conventional backing (which should be thermally resistant and may, for example, be of a vinyl material). The major face, which preferably comprises tufts or pile, is preferably of white or a pale neutral colour (such as cream or beige). The major face of the textile article typically comprises a textile fibre such as a polyamide, polyester or a blend thereof.
The predetermined shape is preferably rectilinear (square or rectangular). The edge templates preferably comprise longitudinally extending spacers arranged to abut the edges of the predetermined shape. Such spacers are preferably arranged to abut at least two of the edges of the area of predetermined shape, more preferably two edges which are substantially perpendicular to one another. The spacers may be arranged to abut two, three or four edges of such a rectilinear shape.
The edge templates are preferably themselves aligned in the correct orientation on the sublimation transfer carrier sheet by means of registration marks or lines on the sheet. Such marks or lines may, in some embodiments, be pre-printed on the carrier sheet.
The sublimation transfer carrier sheet is typically of a thermal resistant backing, for example, of paper or the like. The carrier sheet typically includes a marginal area free of the mirror image, but including the edge templates. In other words, if there are edge templates provided for two edges of the predetermined shape, then there are two corresponding marginal areas adjacent the mirror image.
It is particularly preferred that a plurality of articles are successively or simultaneously subjected to sublimation transfer in the method according to the invention, each article comprising an area of predetermined shape with associated edge templates. By this means, a series of the sublimation transfer carrier sheets may be applied to successive ones of the predetermined shapes, such that a complex pictorial image can be built up on successive articles to be located adjacent one another.
The respective templates for each article help to ensure that the printed images on successively printed ones of the predetermined shapes are in a register with one another.
The mirror image on the sublimation transfer carrier sheet may be monochrome or multicolour; it is preferably a full colour image such that a corresponding full colour print can be produced on the face of the textile article.
A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.